[.ca] "Star Trek, Vol. 17: Who mourns for Adonis? / Amok Time ...

From Amazon.com:
"Who Mourns for Adonais?" A nifty idea: the Greek god Apollo turns out to be quite real, a powerful extraterrestrial (Michael Forest) waiting some 5,000 years for the human race to develop enough to meet him out in the cosmos. Catching sight of the Enterprise, he immobilizes the ship and demands that the members of a landing party--Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Chief Engineer Scott (James Doohan), Chekov (Walter Koenig), and antiquities specialist Lieutenant Carolyn Palamas (Leslie Parrish)--bow before him and prepare to spend the rest of their lives being cherished through his insistent love. A doubting Kirk recruits his people to secretly find the mechanical source of Apollo's power to throw lightning bolts, become a giant, and punish his naughty Enterprise children by tossing them around like rag dolls. The stern god gives Kirk a sword, so to speak, by falling for Lt. Palamas, setting the stage for some stormy drama late in the game. Written by television veteran and Greek myth aficionado Gilbert Ralston (with a polish by producer Gene L. Coon that enhanced the story's relationships), and directed by Marc Daniels, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" is one of those classic Trek episodes that lingers in the memory for the creative incongruity of its story line (starships and Olympians) and principal set (an Athenian temple with a few trees, shrubs, and confused Starfleet personnel). Wonderful stuff. A subplot involving Scotty's big-time crush on Palamas provides a rare glimpse into the emotional life of one of the supporting players--even if his gallant efforts to save her from Apollo's wooing result in a concussion or two. --Tom Keogh "Amok Time" Easily one of the best episodes from the original Star Trek series, "Amok Time" was written by the novelist Theodore Sturgeon, who came up with a story about a Vulcan mating cycle that occurs every seven years and drives the normally stolid, logical, pointy-eared humanoids wild. When Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is suddenly caught in the grip of pon farr, a crazy-making urge to mate, he sets a course for his home planet despite orders to the contrary from Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Kirk comes around, however, and accompanies Spock and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) to Vulcan, where Spock is to wed T'Pring (Arlene Martel) in an arranged marriage. But T'Pring formally rejects Spock, forcing a duel in which the captain must participate or let Spock die. There's high drama galore in this one, beginning with Spock's feverish savagery and extending to the fascinating complexity of Vulcan rituals, set against the eerie emptiness of the planet's landscape. For good measure, there's also the startling sight of Kirk and Spock fighting it out to the death. Supporting performances are terrific, including that of Celia Lovsky (the real-life wife of Peter Lorre) as the matriarch T'Pau. This is also the episode that gave birth to the split-fingered Vulcan salute (inspired by Nimoy's memories of the kohanin blessing at Jewish temples) and the phrase "live long and prosper." One of Trek's more highly charged episodes, you can feel a certain spontaneous energy here--indeed, some of the more inspired actors even made up their own lines. --Tom Keogh

TWO STRONG STAR TREK EPISODES!!:
Volume 17 of the Star Trek DVD Collection features two episodes that take a look at human history as well as Vulcan. Containing two classic from the second season of this series this DVD is a definite must if you are only cherry picking Star Trek TOS DVD's rather than buying every one of them. The first episode here is AMOK TIME which is easily one of Trek's most classic episodes. It's the first time Kirk and the crew visit the planet Vulcan as well as the viewers first look at Vulcan women. The story finds Spock suffering from "Pon Farr" the vulcan mating call. Spock must go to Vulcan and marry T'Pring (played by Arlene Martel) or he will die. Upon arrival on Vulcan. T'Pring demands Spock to fight for her in order to marry her and she chooses Kirk as Spock's opponent! The climax finds Kirk fighting for his dear life against a blood thristy tranced Spock with deadly Vulcan weapons. AMOK TIME is truly one of Star Trek's best episodes. A classic! The other episode here WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS? is slightly weaker than AMOK TIME but still is a great episode. This was actually a good idea to fuse sci-fi and Greek mythology together in one fascinating epic. The Crew are nearing the planet Pollux IV when a giant hand holds the ship. Kirk, Scotty, Chekov, McCoy and Lt. Carolyn Palamas are transported down to the planet and meet a being who claims he his Apollo the last of the Greek Gods to live on Munt Olympus. He demands Kirk to beam his entire crew down to the planet. Kirk and the others refuse and Apollo begins to threaten them with lightning bolts. Eventually Carolyn falls in love with Apollo and hampers all attempts to stop the god's control over holding the ship and crew. Kirk soon realizes that if he does not meet Apollo's demands the short tempered god will destroy the Enterprise and it's crew. WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS? is an above average episode despite being overshadowed by AMOK TIME. As for this DVD? It is a definite must. These two classics cannot be found anywhere else in this high quality. If you love the original series this is wonderful thing to add to your DVD collection. Highly recommended!

One strong show, and one true classic:
Who Mourns for Adonais? This is a strong show about the Greek god Apollo. When Trek was at its best, it generally combined thought-provoking and socially relevant questions with tight, internally consistent, and action-packed stories. Who Mourns for Adonais is one such episode. In addition to the interesting idea that the Gods may have been real, we have the very real themes of 1) the pros and cons of hero worship/letting others make decisions for you, 2) the quest for power, and 3) the pros and cons of a simple, care-free life. The guest acting is pretty good here, too, and there aren't too many holes in the plot. Overall, a strong episode, although I for one at times tire of the more 'literal' episodes, enjoying instead the dreamy, surreal, and menacing ones. I see no reason why we should expect to encounter a moral code (or any system for that matter) similar to our own in outer space. Also there are quite frankly limits to just how good a 'literal' take can consistently be, especially after 35 years and given the time and budget constraints of an episode. That is why I am drawn to the more off-beat shows. Having digressed, I must return to the fact that this is one of the better of the 'literal' shows. (4 stars) Amok Time-This episode, in which Spock must return to his home planet, is deservedly a classic. Amok Time typifies the vitality and fast-pacing of the second season shows. There is real mystery as we try to comprehend just what is wrong with Spock. Certainly it is no coincidence that the thoughtful and critical Nimoy's strongest performance came in the show that gave him both a range of emotions AND a plausible reason for stepping out of character. Nowhere is Spock's shame about his (and all of our) dualistic natures more palpable than here. This episode is helped also by the musical score and minimalist sets on Vulcan, as well as solid acting by the other Vulcans. If one is willing to look beyond minor script problems such as the humans' utter ignorance of Vulcan biology and the details of how Spock ends up fighting Kirk, there really isn't much to gripe about. Funny too how success breeds success; there is a warmth and chemistry between the big three here that just couldn't be reconjured in episodes that didn't earn the actors' trust. (4.5 stars)

Gods and Vulcans:
"Who Mourns For Adonais?" Kirk meets Apollo in a violent confrontation that almost costs Scotty's life. Look at the wardrobe given to Carolyn Palamas! WHOA! "Amok Time" Spock MUST visit Vulcan and marry a woman or die.

Aliens In Heat:
Two of Trek's best, with strong scripts, solid production and great guest stars. "Who Mourns for Adonais?" finds the Enterprise meeting up with the last of mans' progenitors, the god Apollo, himself (Michael Forest). He halts the Enterprise with a giant energy-field hand, and insists its crew abandon their space voyage to spend the rest of eternity with him, picking posies and singing his praises. Kirk, of course, will have none of that (it's an alpha-male dominance thing), and Scotty gets his feathers riled when Apollo takes an amorous liking to comely Lieutenant Carolyn Palomas (Leslie Parrish), his own latest favorite. Unfortunately, the lovely lieutenant seems to like older men - several millennia older, you could say - and prefers Apollo's offer. Captain Kirk has to play on her loyalties to Starfleet - and the human race - to get her to distract Apollo long enough to overthrow him. Forest is perfect as Apollo, with a splendid physique and a regal but likeable manner. In fact, it's hard to fully understand Kirk's and the Enterprise crew's reluctance to retire and settle down with him. Especially so the lucky (unlucky?) lieutenant, whose emotional turmoil is heart-wrenchingly played by the consistently excellent Leslie Parrish. "Amok Time" is one of Trek's top ten episodes, no matter how you slice it, and deals with the mating urge of another race of aliens: the Vulcans. Do those stoic computers-on-legs ever really get it on? You bet they do, and the half-human self-control freak Spock has a more than usually difficult time subduing his passions when the seven-year biological mating cycle hits him. Kirk defies Starfleet orders to spirit Spock away to Vulcan in the middle of a mission, since a delay could literally cost Spock his life. Kirk and McCoy become the first humans ever to enter a Vulcan Temple - an impressively designed Egypto-Roman/Hebraic affair - and meet the regal Vulcan ruler, T'pau, and Spock's beautiful betrothed, T'pring, who turns out to be rather ruthless in her exercise of logic: she finagles a contest to the death between Spock and his best friend, Kirk, to further a hidden agenda of her own. In order to save Spock's life, will Kirk have to lose his own - at Spock's hands? A truly great episode, dramatic and suspenseful, with beautiful production design. Celia Lovsky magnificently embodies the stern and stoic T'pau, and the exotically beautiful Arline Martel portrays T'pring with a quiet air of ruthless menace and allure. There's a great blooper in this episode, if you watch close: Spock, at one point, snaps suddenly to attention from a reclining position against a wall on Vulcan - actor Leonard Nimoy was smoking a cigarette waiting for his scene to resume, and it came quicker than he expected. It's pretty funny - but the entire cast is so good, and the action so gripping, that you'd never see it if you didn't know specifically to look for it.

"Kill Spock? That's not what we came here for...":
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 17: Who Mourns For Adonais? © / Amok Time © WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS? © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The relevance of a god or gods in an advanced society Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Following in the footsteps of 'The Squire of Gothos' and 'Charlie X', our gallant captain and a few cohorts have to escape from the seemingly all-powerful clutches of the deity Apollo from Greek mythology. Scotty is showcased here by getting his you-know-what handed to him on a couple occasions by Apollo over the hand of babe-of-the-week Carolyn Palamas ( Leslie Parrish). Romantic triangles don't get much more dangerous than this! Also notable is the Monkees rug that Chekov's got on, which wasn't quite as overdone as the previous ones he had to wear. Throw in the tried-and-true drain-the-energy-from-the-all-powerful-being ploy, mix it with a dash of the last-minute-rescue-format, rub it all down with the somewhat tragic epilogue featuring Jimmers doing his hushed and somewhat despondent monologue about the tragic loss of a potential link to mankind's past, and broil to a golden brown. M'm, m'm, good! AMOK TIME © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The trials of friendship / the nightmare of losing one's self-control Historical Milestone: The first appearance of the planet Vulcan Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Uh-oh... Spock's got a certain urge, and his shipmates will need to change course and get him back to Vulcan, or else (*GASP!*) he'll croak! Now this wouldn't be such a difficulty except for the fact that the Enterprise is ordered to attend a ceremony at a planet that's several light-years away! Will Jimmers break the rules again to save the life of his first officer and valued friend?! Oh, the suspense! Oh, the humanity! Oh my God, is that Jim fightin' Spock to the death to help save his life after they touch down on Vulcan? Yep, it sure is! And thanks to this little blood match, we are treated to yet another Kirk's-uniform-top-gets-ripped-in-combat episode as he barely ducks a close call from Spock's giant bladed Q-Tip-lookin' weapon! Fortunately, McCoy helps Kirk fake his death in battle, Spock displays some genuine emotions in front of his captain and good doctor, and all is well once again! Well, all will be well for the next seven years, anyway... 'Late